Protective device for use in the maintenance of foundry ladles

ABSTRACT

A device for use in the maintenance of foundry ladles comprises a support structure which includes a pair of upstanding beams adapted to receive and support the carriers of a foundry ladle, and an intervening supporting stage adapted to support the ladle from its carriers in a generally horizontal position. An L-shaped carriage is provided with a horizontal portion having wheels movable along tracks disposed below the horizontally supported ladle, and with a vertical portion to which an elongated protective barrel structure, having insulating walls, is attached. The protective barrel structure has a generally oval configuration and an open end which is attached to the vertical carriage portion, and the barrel structure extends in a generally horizontal direction for insertion into and out of the ladle as the carriage is moved. The interior dimensions of the barrel structure are sufficiently large to permit an inspector to enter the barrel structure via its open end and to walk along the barrel structure to its opposite end, which is closed except for a service opening, to permit the inspector to service the bottom of the ladle when the protective barrel has been moved into the ladle.

United States atent 11 1 Makynen 1 Sept. 3, 1974 PROTECTIVE DEVICE FORUSE IN THE MAINTENANCE OF FOUNDRY LADLES [75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: Ovako Oy, Helsinki, Finland [22] Filed: Sept. 11, 1973[21] Appl. No.: 396,284

Arvi Makynen, Imatra, Finland [30] Foreign Application Priority DataSept. 20, 1972 Finland 2584/72 [52] US. Cl 266/1 R, 164/152, 222/148[51] Int. Cl. F27d 23/00 [58] Field of Search 266/1 R, 30, 43; 164/152;222/192, 148

Primary ExaminerRobert B. Reeves Assistant ExaminerDavid A. ScherbelAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Elliott 1. Pollock [57] ABSTRACT A device foruse in the maintenance of foundry ladles comprises a support structurewhich includes a pair of upstanding beams adapted to receive and supportthe carriers of a foundry ladle, and an intervening supporting stageadapted to support the ladle from its carriers in a generally horizontalposition. An L-shaped carriage is provided with a horizontal portionhaving wheels movable along tracks disposed below the horizontallysupported ladle, and with a vertical portion to which an elongatedprotective barrel structure, having insulating walls, is attached. Theprotective barrel structure has a generally oval configuration and anopen end which is attached to the vertical carriage portion, and thebarrel structure extends in a generally horizontal direction forinsertion into and out of the ladle as the carriage is moved. Theinterior dimensions of the barrel structure are sufficiently large topermit an inspector to enter the barrel structure via its open end andto walk along the barrel structure to its opposite end, which is closedexcept for a service opening, to permit the inspector to service thebottom of the ladle when the protective barrel has been moved into theladle.

10 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures I Y //f/ A r ail n PATENTED SEP 3 I974SHEEP? UF 2 PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR USE IN THE MAINTENANCE OF FOUNDRYLADLES When foundries use a ladle where the casting gate is on thebottom, the so called mouth tile, serving as this casting gates nozzle,must be changed every now and then. This necessitates that certaincontrol and maintenance procedures be effected on both sides of thebottom of the ladle. Any procedurestaken on the inside of the ladlenecessitate, however, cooling of the hot ladle to enable a worker to gointo the ladle.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a device which makesthe cooling of the ladle unnecessary before any control and maintenanceprocedures. This achieves multiple advantages, to be explained later.

The device which constitutes the subject matter of the present inventionincludes a protecting barrel adapted to be fitted inside the ladle foruse by the inspector, and is characterized by a structural arrangementwherein the open end of the protecting barrel is propped against amovable carriage which cooperates with a support structure for the ladleso dimensioned with respect to the carriage that by moving the carriage,the protecting barrel can be readily inserted into or removed from theladle.

The invention is more throughly illustrated by the following drawingswhere FIG. 1 is a vertical section of the device of the presentinvention with its protecting barrel driven into the ladle.

FIG. 2 is a section along the line IIII of FIG. 1.

On the drawings the ladle is marked by the reference numeral 1 and thereference numeral 2 indicates the nozzle situated on the bottom of theladle. Changing the nozzle in the ladle is nowadays done by pushing theconic mouth tile, plastered with mortar, from the outside of the ladleinto a complementary conic hole on the bottom of the ladle. Due to thisprocedure, the mortar plastered on the surface of the nozzle tends tosqueeze outward as the nozzle is pushed into place, and a groove is leftaround the nozzle which is not filled with mortar. This groove isdesignated in FIG. 1, by reference numeral 3. To avoid leakages, theinstallation of the nozzle must be checked before using the ladle andthe groove 3, which has perhaps remained unfilled, must be seamed withmortar. In an ordinary use, the

v The control carriage 5 has wheels which run on rails 9 as well as abody structure 11 to which the protecting barrel 4 is attached at itsopen end. To provide sufficient bending stiffness, the cross section ofthe pro,- tecting barrel 4 is oval, with the longer axis of the ovalbeing oriented in a vertical'direction. In addition, the protectingbarrel 4 is stiffened by means of profile steels extending in alongitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. 2. The front of the barrel isconic and otherwise closed, except that it has a working opening 12 soplaced that when the protecting barrel is pushed inside the ladle asshown in FIG. 1, the nozzle 2 is directly opposite the working opening12. r

The protecting barrel 4 is made of two sheet-iron plates, lying oneinside the other, between which there is mm of insulation made ofceramic fiber and an alumina layer lying against the inner surface ofthe outer plate.

Due to the construction described above and illustrated in the drawings,the control carriage 5 is so light that one man can move it along therails 9. Also safety precautions have been included to ensure that theworker can withdraw from the barrel 4 safely and ladle must be cooledabout an hour so that the inspector can go into the ladle.

By using the device of the present invention, however the above coolingof the ladle becomes unnecessary. The inside control and maintenanceprocedures can thus be carried out while the ladle is still hot.

The device developed for the hot control procedure consists mainly ofthree parts: a protecting barrel 4, a movable carriage 5 and a ladlesupport structure 6.

The support structure 6 consists of two supporting beams 7 and asupporting stage 8 onto which the ladle l is lowered in a horizontalposition to enable the ladle carriers 13 to fit onto forks situated onthe ends of the supporting beams 7 and to rest the lower part of theladle on the supporting stage 8. In this way, the casting gate issituated within the radius of 45 with regard to the vertical section ofthe bottom of the ladle. In addition, the support structure of the ladleincludes two horizontal rails 9, along which the control carriage 5 ismoved.

quickly. This is made possible especially by the horizontal position ofthe protecting barrel 4.

The device,-according to the invention, can be used not only for theprocedure discussed above but also when the nozzle is put into place ina hot ladle from the inside. In both cases the advantages of the devicewill be nearly the same, viz.:

l. Rotating time of the ladle will be shortened by about an hour, whichreduces the number of the ladles needed.

2. The hot control procedure reduces the necessary heat energy neededinpre-heating and thus cuts down expenses.

3. By using procedure the hot control, changes of temperature of theladle become smaller and this lengthens the life of the masonry.

It may be noted that the hot control procedure referred to abovecontemplates that, at the time of the procedure, the ladle is at atemperature of about 600 C.

The support structure for the ladle, comprising a portion of the deviceof the present invention, also supports the ladle carriers 13, asillustrated by the drawings. This prevents the carriers 13 from swingingdangerously downwards.

The support member indicated by reference numeral 14 in FIG. 1 is theportion of the ladle by means of which the ladle is turned to ahorizontal position. On the interior of the protecting barrel 4 there isa walkway see FIG. 2) which provides a walking and working 'level forthe inspector. The protecting barrel is sufficiently high and its openend is sufficiently wide to enable therein the inspector to walk andwork easily.

As best shown by FIG. 1, the carriage 5 is L-shaped, andincludes abottom arm which is very long between the bottom arm and the protectingbarrel 4 there is enough room even for a ladle having a thick wall.

I claim:

1. A device for use in the maintenance of foundry ladles comprising asupport structure for supporting a ladle in a generally horizontalposition, a movable carriage adjacent said support structure,'anelongated protective barrel structure extending in'a generallyhorizontal direction and having an open end which is attached to saidcarriage, the exterior of said barrel structure being dimensioned to fitinto the interior of said supported ladle for movement into and out ofsaid ladle by movement of said carriage, and the interior of said barrelstructure being dimensioned to permit an inspector to enter said barrelstructure via its open end and to walk along said barrel structure tothe end thereof opposite said open end to service the bottom of saidladle. I

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said barrel structure has an ovalcross-sectional configuration, the major axis of said oval configurationbeing oriented in a vertical direction.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said movable carriage is generallyL-shaped, said L-shaped carriage including a vertical portion to whichthe open end of said barrel structure is attached, and said L-shapedcarriage including a horizontal portion extending in a directiongenerally parallel to the direction of extension of said barrelstructure at a position below and spaced from said barrel structure toprovide an unobstructed region between said barrel structure and thehorizontal portion of said carriage for reception of the side wall ofthe ladle when said carriage is moved to insert said barrel structureinto said ladle.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said support structure includes a pairof spaced, upstanding support beams the upper ends of which includemeans for receiving and supporting the carriers of the ladle to supportthe ladle from its carriers, said support structure further including asupporting stage disposed between said beams for engaging and supportingthe lower side wall of said horizontally disposed ladle.

5. The device of claim 2 wherein said support structure includes a pairof spaced, upstanding support beams the upper ends of which includemeans for receiving and supporting the carriers of the ladle to supportthe ladle from its carriers, said support structure further including asupporting stage disposed between said beams for engaging and supportingthe lower side wall of said horizontally disposed ladle.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said movable carriage is generallyL-shaped, said L-shaped carriage including a vertical portion to whichthe open end of said barrel structure is attached, and said L-shapedcarriage including a horizontal portion extending in a directiongenerally parallel to the direction of extension of said barrelstructure at a position below and spaced from said barrel structure toprovide an unobstructed region between said barrel structure and thehorizontal portion of said carriage for reception of the side wall ofthe ladle when said carriage is moved to insert said barrel structureinto said ladle.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said support structure includes a pairof spaced, upstanding support beams the upper ends of which includemeans for receiving and supporting the carriers of the ladle to supportthe ladle from its carriers, said support structure further including asupporting stage disposed between said beams for engaging and supportingthe lower side wall of said horizontally disposed ladle.

8. The device of claim 1 including a pair ofspaced, parallel, generallyhorizontal tracks, said carriage having rotatable support wheels inengagement with said tracks for moving said carriage along said tracksinto and out of said barrel structure.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the end of said barrel structureopposite to said open end is substantially closed except for a workingopening of limited dimension provided therein.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the walls of said barrel structurecomprise a pair of spaced metallic members having an insulating materialtherebetween.

1. A device For use in the maintenance of foundry ladles comprising asupport structure for supporting a ladle in a generally horizontalposition, a movable carriage adjacent said support structure, anelongated protective barrel structure extending in a generallyhorizontal direction and having an open end which is attached to saidcarriage, the exterior of said barrel structure being dimensioned to fitinto the interior of said supported ladle for movement into and out ofsaid ladle by movement of said carriage, and the interior of said barrelstructure being dimensioned to permit an inspector to enter said barrelstructure via its open end and to walk along said barrel structure tothe end thereof opposite said open end to service the bottom of saidladle.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said barrel structure has anoval cross-sectional configuration, the major axis of said ovalconfiguration being oriented in a vertical direction.
 3. The device ofclaim 2 wherein said movable carriage is generally L-shaped, saidL-shaped carriage including a vertical portion to which the open end ofsaid barrel structure is attached, and said L-shaped carriage includinga horizontal portion extending in a direction generally parallel to thedirection of extension of said barrel structure at a position below andspaced from said barrel structure to provide an unobstructed regionbetween said barrel structure and the horizontal portion of saidcarriage for reception of the side wall of the ladle when said carriageis moved to insert said barrel structure into said ladle.
 4. The deviceof claim 3 wherein said support structure includes a pair of spaced,upstanding support beams the upper ends of which include means forreceiving and supporting the carriers of the ladle to support the ladlefrom its carriers, said support structure further including a supportingstage disposed between said beams for engaging and supporting the lowerside wall of said horizontally disposed ladle.
 5. The device of claim 2wherein said support structure includes a pair of spaced, upstandingsupport beams the upper ends of which include means for receiving andsupporting the carriers of the ladle to support the ladle from itscarriers, said support structure further including a supporting stagedisposed between said beams for engaging and supporting the lower sidewall of said horizontally disposed ladle.
 6. The device of claim 1wherein said movable carriage is generally L-shaped, said L-shapedcarriage including a vertical portion to which the open end of saidbarrel structure is attached, and said L-shaped carriage including ahorizontal portion extending in a direction generally parallel to thedirection of extension of said barrel structure at a position below andspaced from said barrel structure to provide an unobstructed regionbetween said barrel structure and the horizontal portion of saidcarriage for reception of the side wall of the ladle when said carriageis moved to insert said barrel structure into said ladle.
 7. The deviceof claim 1 wherein said support structure includes a pair of spaced,upstanding support beams the upper ends of which include means forreceiving and supporting the carriers of the ladle to support the ladlefrom its carriers, said support structure further including a supportingstage disposed between said beams for engaging and supporting the lowerside wall of said horizontally disposed ladle.
 8. The device of claim 1including a pair of spaced, parallel, generally horizontal tracks, saidcarriage having rotatable support wheels in engagement with said tracksfor moving said carriage along said tracks into and out of said barrelstructure.
 9. The device of claim 1 wherein the end of said barrelstructure opposite to said open end is substantially closed except for aworking opening of limited dimension provided therein.
 10. The device ofclaim 1 wherein the walls of said barrel structure comprise a pair ofspaced metallic members having an insulatiNg material therebetween.